Garbage disposal device



May 27, 1947. T, HlLLlKER 2,421,064

GARBAGE DISPOSAL DEVICE Filed Oct. 9, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORFRANK T. HILLIKER ATTORNEY.

Filed Oct. 9

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Adi! ATTORNEY.

Patented May 27, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARBAGE DISPOSALDEVICE Frank T. Hilliker, St. Louis, Mo.

Application October 9, 1944, Serial No. 557,802

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvementsin garbage disposal devices and more particularly to a continuouslyoperating garbage disposal device adapted for use in restaurants, clubsand other commercial eating places having a substantially large andcontinuous volume of garbage which is returned to the kitchen on andwith the tableware of the diners and must be scraped and separated fromsuch tableware prior to washing.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a garbagedisposal device which is extremely rugged and durable and is capable ofconmnuous operation over relatively long periods of time without dangerof mechanical failure or breakdown.

It is another object of the present invention to provide, a garbagedisposal device which is capable of grinding garbage in a. continuouslyrecirculated current of water to reduce the garbage to a finely dividedstate in which it is suspended in the water in the form of a highlyfluid sludge.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a garbagedisposal device which can be conveniently installed in a dish-washingtable of the type commonly employed in restaurants so that the garbageand refuse brought back to the kitchen on the tableware of the dinersmay be readily and efficiently scraped into the garbage disposal deViCeand be gradually carried away to the sewer without odor, or the creationof unsightly and unsanitary conditions.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a deviceof the type stated in which provision is made for preventing solidobjects, such as pieces of crockery, silverware and the like, fromaccidentally getting into the cutting kniVes of the grinding mechanism.

Numerous other objects, advantages and inherent functions of the presentinvention will be come apparent as the same is more fully understoodfrom the following description which, taken with the accompanyingdrawings, discloses a preferred form of the present invention.

In the drawings (two sheets)-- Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partlybroken away, of a preferred form of garbage disposal device constructedin accordance with and embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the garbage disposal device;and

Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views taken respectively alonglines 3-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 2'.

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to thedrawings, the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises anopen-topped tank I formed preferably of castiron, sheet metal, stainlesssteel, or other suitable material. Preferably, though not necessarily,the

tank I may be provided upon its exposed face with any conventionalprotective coating, as circumstances may warrant or permit. At its upperor open end the tank I is provided with an external angular flange 2having a plurality of circumferentially spaced counter-sunk apertures 3for receiving screws or other suitable fastening elements by which theentire structure may be secured in a dish scraping table. Around theinner peripheral margin of its flange 2, the tank I is provided with anopen-faced channel 4 and, for a short distance downwardly therefrom, thetank I is of substantially true circular cross-section. For the rest ofits depth, the tank I is restricted to the somewhat segmentalcross-sectional shape shown in Fig. 2 and is provided with a transverse,vertical wall 5, which is curved arcuately inwardly and is provided witha straight section 6, the upper portion of which is relieved as at a inthe provision of a short vertical wall section I of circularconformation concentric with the upper circular portion of the tank Iand having its upper margin in the same plane, more or less, as theupper margin of the main portions of the tank wall 5. At such uppermargin the tank wall 5 and the arcuate portion I thereof mergeintegrally into a substantially horizontal flat shelf portion 8, all asbest seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

Removably fitted within, and extending horizontally across, the top ofthe tank I is a shallow slightly dished sheet metal tray 9 having acentral aperture [0 and an outer peripheral bead I I which is seated inthe channel 4. Rotatably mounted in the side wall of the tank I, justbeneath the tray 9, is a switch control lever I2 provided at itsinwardly projecting end with a radially extending arm I3 adapted forabutting engagement upon its upper face with its under side of the tray9 so that when the latter is in place across the top of the tank I thearm will be swung downwardly to the lowermost position y shown in dottedlines in Fig. 4. On its outwardly projecting end, the control lever isprovided with a short radial arm I4 apertured for receiving the upperhooked end of a depending link I5 which is, in turn, at its lower end,operably engaged with the outer end of a switch actuating arm I6 of aconventional spring-pressed switch H, the latter being suitably boltedupon the under face of the tank shelf 8. When the tray 9 is in place, asabove described, the arm I3 and the associated link I 5 will be held indownward position so that the switch arm I6 will likewise be held indownward position and the switch will be on, but when the tray 9 isremoved, the switch will spring back to off position shifting the arm I6upwardly and urging the link I=5 also upwardly so that the arm I3 willassume the uppermost position a: as shown in dotted lines in'Fig. 4.

The bottom wall I8 of the tank I is inclined downwardly at a slightangle and at its lowest point provided with a tapered drain aperture IQfor snugly receiving the lower tapered end of a stand-pipe 20, whichextends upwardly almost to the level of the shelf 8 and at its upper endis provided with a plurality of small drain holes 2I. On its under facethe tank bottom I8 is provided with a depending internally threadedcollar 22 concentric with, and substantially larger in diametral sizethan, the aperture In for receiving a drain pipe 23 which is connectedin any conventional manner to the sewer. The tank bottom I8 is alsointegrally rovided on its underface with a centrally disposed internallythreaded socket 24 for receiving the upper end of a pipelike supportingleg or stand 25, by which the entire device may be supported from thefloor.

Mounted tightly against the inner vertical face of the straight section6 of the tank wall is a centrifugal grinder 25 comprising a cylindricalcasing or shell 21 integrally provided with a concentric horizontalsleeve 28 projecting through the wall section 6 and being externallythreaded as at 29 for receiving a collar nut 30, which is threaded upagainst the outer face of the wall section 6 thereby holding the entiregrinder structure firmly in place. The sleeve 28 is internally threadedfor receiving a tubular shaft bearing 3| which may be run up against apacking ring 32 in the manner of a, stufling box or gland, and rotatablymounted therein is a shaft 33 which extends at one end outwardly fromthe bearing 3! for receiving a pulley wall 34, which is held rigidlythereon by means of a set screw 35. At the other end the shaft 33extends through the casing 21 and keyed thereon is a rotary impeller 36arranged for sucking water into the casing 21 along lines co-axial withthe shaft 33 and expelling the water through a circumferential dischargeport 31 opening into a tangential vertical upwardly projecting dischargespout 38 which is concentric with and terminates below the opening IIIof the tray 9, as best seen in Fig. 3 and for purposes more fullyappearing.

At its outer end casing is provided with a vertical closure wall 39having a plurality of concentrically arranged small apertures 49 andbeing provided around its peripheral margin with an integral, outwardlyextending annular collar 4|,

the upper half of which is solid and the lower half of which is providedwith a plurality of axial slots 42 in the formation of circumferentiallyspaced tines or fingers 43. The shaft 33 extends rotatably through thewall 39 and is provided with a two-bladed cutter 44, having a pluralityof upstanding fingers 45 which taper forwardly and downwardly from thetrailing edge toward the leading or cutting edge and are somewhatconcentric with the shaft 33 for deflecting outwardly any accumulatedmaterial so as to prevent clogging or binding of the apertures 40. Theouter end of the shaft 33 is axially tapped and threaded to receive alocking screw 46 for holding in place a washer 41, which, in turn,retains a concentric spiral spring 48 for resiliently urging the cutter44 inwardly into operative abutment against the outer face of the wall39 so that upon rotation the cutter 44 will cooperate with the apertures40 of the wall 39 to grind the solid material which is suspended in thestream of water drawn inwardly by the impeller 36.

Bolted, or otherwise suitably secured upon bosses 49 formed integrallyupon the underside of the tank bottom I 8, is a high-speed, heavy duty,electric motor 50 having a driving pulley 5| connected by means of abelt 52 to the pulley 34. It will, of course, be obvious in thisconnection that the motor is electrically connected by wires or electricconduit (not shown) to the switch I1. Finally, the tank I is providedwith a small water inlet pipe 53 mounted in and extending through thetank wall 5 adjacent to, and upon a level with the upper end of, thestand pipe 20. The inlet pipe 53 is conventionally con nected to a watersupply line through a suitable hand valve (not shown) by which arelatively small stream of make-up water may be supplied to the tank I.

For appearance, as well as protection of the moving parts, the tank I ispreferably, though not necessarily, enclosed within an external skirt 54which is flanged outwardly at its upper end and welded, riveted, orotherwise secured upon the underface of the tank flange 2. As has beenabove pointed out, the entire structure may be supported from the floorby means of the leg or stand 25, or if desired, the leg or stand 25 maybe utilized merely as a reenforcing support and the entire structuremounted in dishwashers table, in which case the upper horizontal planeof the device would ordinarily be located approximately in the plane ofthe table top so that the tableware as they are brought in from thedining room by waiters and bus-boys can be quickly and convenientlyscraped.

In operation, the tray 9 is fitted snugly within the channel 4 of thetank I so that the arm I3 will be suitably depressed and the switch IIwill be turned on. The motor 50 will thereupon rotatably drive the shaft33 and its associated parts at relatively high speed. Meanwhile, thetank I has been filled up to the level permitted by the height of thestand-pipe 20. The water is drawn horizontally inwardly by the impeller36 and discharged upwardly through the discharge spout 38 in a. gushingfountain somewhat similar to that which issues from a fountain bubblerexcept that the volume is much greater. This gusher or fountain of waterissues upwardly through the apertur I0 through the tray 9 and projectsitself for a distance of several inches above the entire device and thenfalls back downwardly upon the upper face of the tray 9 in the areaadjacent the opening I0 and flows thence by gravity into and through theopening III to return to tank I.

When an item is scraped by the dishwasher or attendant, the refuse isdirected in the more or less general direction of the fountain of waterbubbling up through the opening I 0 and is caught in the returningstream of water, being thereby carried through the opening Ill into thebody of the tank I. This refuse may consist of food peelings and variouskinds of table scraps of any texture or consistency ranging from thesolidity and fragmentary character of meat scraps, chicken bones, andthe like, to the leafy readily destructible types of scrap, such aslettuce, tomatoes and other salad leavings, and semi-fluid refuse suchas gravy and the like. Regardless of type, the table scrap is caught inthe stream of water within the tank I, is drawn inwardly by the impeller36 through the cutting knives 44, and is comminuted by the actionthereof while it is suspended in the flowing stream. The comminutedtable scrap then passes upwardly and becomes a part of the bubblingfountain of wate and again flows down into the tank I, perhaps withadditional table scrap and is recirculated and reground. This continuesa number of times until the table scrap becomes suspended in the Waterin the form of a sludge. As table scrap is continuously dumped into thedevice, the thickness of the sludge will build up but at all times thetable scrap will be recirculated continuously. Meanwhile, the volume ofliquid within the tank I will b increased by reason of the additionalvolume resulting from the table scrap and refuse as well as by reason ofthe trickling in of makeup water through the inlet pipe 53. As a result,there is a more or less continuous overflow of sludge into the standpipe 20 and thence to the sewer. Consequently, the sludge is beingcarried away to the sewer in a highly fluid form and the ear-- bage ortable refuse is being continuously ground and disposed of. By reason ofits high speed and continuous operation, the garbage disposal device ofthe present invention is capable of handling a very large quantity oftable scraps and refuse and can take care of a very large kitchen volumesuch as that encountered in large restaurants and hotels.

When it is desired to shut the machine down at the end of the daysoperations, the tray 9 is lifted out of place and the switch l1,together with its associating actuating links and levers, returns to offposition thereby shutting the motor down. The stand pipe 20 then ismanually lifted out of the drainage aperture l9 and the entire tank Idrained. In thi connection it should be noted that the bottom wall [8 ofth tank I is spaced downwardly from the lowermost point of the grinder26 and acts as a catch basin for any articles, such as silverware or thelike, which may accidentally be thrown into the device with the garbage.Such tableware will sink to the bottom and be thus prevented fromentering and damaging the grinding apparatus, or be itself damagedthereby. It is, therefore, desirable to explore the bottom of the tankmanually before removing the stand pipe 20 so as to recover any smallsilver articles that might otherwise get caught in or pass down throughthe drain aperture l9 to the sewer. As a practical matter, however, thedrain aperture I9 is of such relatively small size that knives, forks,spoons, and similar tableware, would not pass through in any case.

It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form,construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of thegarbage disposal device may be made and substituted for those hereinshown and. described without departing from the nature and principle ofmy invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A garbage disposal device comprising an open-topped tank, means forsupplying water to the tank, an overflow pipe in the tank adapted tomaintain a body of water within the tank up to a predetermined level, atray removably mounted across the open top of the tank and having anopening through which garbage may be deposited into the body of waterwithin the tank, a pump immersed within the body of water, and grindingmeans associated with the pump for reducing the water and suspendedgarbage to a relatively fluid sludge, said pump having a dischargeopening disposed beneath the tray opening so as to cause a spout offluid to bubble up through the tray-opening and over the face of thetray for sluicing garbage down through the tray-opening into the tank.

2. A garbage disposal device comprising an open-topped tank having anupper shallow section of relatively large cross-sectional area and alower portion of reduced cross-sectional area with respect to the uppersection in the provision of a relatively deep sump, a tray disposedacross the open top of the tank and having an unobstructed opening abovethe sump, and a comminuting pump in the sum-p having a discharge orificealigned with said unobstructed opening and directed upwardly out of thesump so that when the tank is filled with liquid and the pump isoperated a fountain of liquid will be projected upwardly out of the sumpand through said un-' obstructed opening.

3. A garbage disposal device comprising a tank having an upper shallowsection of relatively large cross-sectional area and a lower portion ofreduced cross-sectional area with respect to the upper section in theprovision of a relatively deep sump, and a comminuting pump in the sumphaving a discharge orifice directed upwardly out of the sump, said sumpbeing unobstructed in the area over said discharge orifice so that whenthe tank is filled with liquid and the pump is operated a fountain ofliquid will be projected upwardly out of the sump, said tank furtherhaving an inclined bottom wall spaced downwardly from the pump in theformation of a catch basin for receiving silverware and similar objectswhich may be accidentally thrown into the tank along with the garbage.

4. A garbage disposal device comprising an open-topped tank having atray disposed across the open top thereof and being provided with anopening, said tank further having an upper shallow section of relativelylarge cross-sectional area and a lower portion of reducedcross-sectional area with respect to the upper section in the provisionof a relatively deep sump having a side wall spaced inwardly from theperiphery of the upper shallow section and extending transverselythereacross, and a comminuting pump mounted on said side wall in thesump, said pump having an intake orifice presented horizontally to thesump and having a discharge orifice directed upwardly out of the sumpand aligned with the tray-opening, said sump being unobstructed in thearea over said discharge orifice so that when the tank is filled withliquid and the pump is operated a fountain of liquid will be projectedupwardly out of the sump.

FRANK T. HILLIKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,794,214 Thurm et al. Feb. 24,1931 1,867,824 Hammerly July 19, 1932 2,265,758 Klossun Dec. 9, 19412,286,520 Tranbarger June 16, 1942 2,067,161 Durdin, Jr. Jan. 5, 19371,416,204 Hottmann May 16, 192 2 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date328,483 Great Britain May 1, 1930 26,603 Great Britain Nov. 16, 1909307,561 Great Britain Mar. 14, 1929

